Jermaine Glenn’s poem, “Covid 19,” was first featured in a Reflct Media project called, “Seeing Through the Bars.”
Michael Ralph collaborated with Jermaine Glenn to script, direct, and produce an animated version of Jermaine’s poem, that included visuals by Angie Urrea. For the #Logistics in the Time of Covid project, Michael conceptualized original art direction for Jermaine’s poem and recruited Nia Palmer and Laura Molnar to execute the vision.
Here is the origin of the poem, in Jermaine’s words:
I wrote this poem in the middle of the night when I realized how dire our circumstances had become. We went from witness to this virus to victims seemingly overnight. Casual phone calls turned into “I love you forever” not knowing if this would be our last conversation. It is my hope that this poem gives life to our conditions and serves as a brief document of what our Covid -19 pandemic was like inside.
Contributors:
Jermaine Glenn is a writer, artist, and activist from Detroit, MI who uses narrative to reflect on social problems and the critical perspectives we develop by examining dramatic changes in our environments. To read more of Jermaine’s work, write him at Kinross Correctional Facility, 4533 W. Industrial Park Drive, Kincheloe, MI 49788
Michael Ralph teaches in the School of Medicine at New York University. His research explores strategies of profiling central to forensics, debt, slavery, algorithms, insurance, actuarial science, and incarceration.
Nia Palmer is an illustrator and comic artist from Houston Texas. Her art is distinguished by its use of dynamic figures, vibrant colors, and its artistic blend of digital and traditional mediums. To see her work, visit @niapalmerscribbles on Instagram.
Laura Molnar’s first training as an artist involved emulating her father’s sketches. Laura later studied art in LA, and lived in Colombia, before moving back to her native Spain, where she currently works as a freelance artist. Laura is known for the depth of expression her characters manage to convey as well as their grace of movement. To see her work, visit www.lauramolnart.com.